[U]nstylish: Lack of Effort in Viera & Hrothgar Hairstyle Releases

[Pip_Chick]

The Hrothgar situation was extremely disappointing for me.3+ years of promises for this... an ugly wig super glued on with a free ear amputation. And not even a word on the development of Female Hrothgar.
But I guess there is always 7.0. I can just hope that with their new overhaul they will be able to rework not only all playable models to make them less restricted but the character creation as well. Call me an optimist, but at this point, I need a spark of joy... this has made me so upset and bereft of hope I need something good, even if it's just a small reassurance. I love Hrothgar, they are my favourite race in this game and it pains me to see them treated as an annoyance by the devs. To see that an accessory item that you can only use when in idle animation was more of a priority than us.
My first MMO was 4Story and my first-ever character was a female beast. So when I heard of Female Hrothgar I got ecstatic! But now we don't even have an official concept art...
I just wish they would spare some of the devs to work on the Hrothgar and Viera issues, even with clipping, everything in this game clips, why not let the players choose? If they are ok with clipping then they can use any hairstyles, if not they can stick to the original ones. I don't know at this point... I just want to be able to use the hairstyles and keep my earring collection.

[Midareyukki]

At least Hrothgar get a properly placed headband (even though they had to sacrifice their ears for it). But the bigger problem: of all the hairstyles to release for Hrothgar, this was seen as a fitting choice? For a race often given the excuse, "Xyz is done to keep the race more bestial," this is about as "bestial" as a Loporrit space café or Namazu accounting firm.

How much you want to bet they'll look at that comment, see Loporrit Space Café and awkwardly stare at that abandoned place in Ultima Thule? Because it frankly looks like something they can do.

In conclusion, Viera and Hrothgar are both playable races. If hairstyles for these races are going to be managed (or mismanaged) like this, both races might as well be given access to everything: every hairstyle and every piece of headgear (where it applies). At least let us experience the options other races are entitled to. Race-specific hairstyles should be a feature built alongside other unlockable hairstyles, not as a replacement for them.

Going by images of modded Hrothgar and Viera, the headgear really only needs a bit of tweaking to work. It would take some time, it would take some effort. But not only is it doable, the very bare minimum works just fine. Which makes me wonder. Square naturally doesn't want to care about mods, but have they actually seen what modders have done? It works. Mild tweaking here and there, naturally, but even some mods clip and they're not as gaudy or cumbersome to look at like what they revealed.

This is whats hurting me the most. I though this dev team were supposed to be the ones whom prioritize on always listening to player feedback. Its what gotten them out of the hellhole that was 1.0
What happened? Did they just get super complacent from success?

That's the thing, isn't it? They were a team that listened. But the way they presented those things and the subsequent silence, coupled with all that's happened the past 3 years and the minor flaws that keep piling up throughout the game? The past tense is starting to weigh down harder and harder. I don't know if it's complacency in the face of success, or if they know their community is so used to forgiving them and being understanding that this gets to pass.
Edit: Or it could be what I saw in another thread. Player retention and competition are no longer their focus. They are under no pressure to listen to their players anymore. Or you know, a combination of all 3.

No one will forget that a portion of the dev team allegedly worked behind Yoshida's back to give people head gear. But how long will that good faith last? 3+ years was more than enough time for them to get their priorities straight in the face of so much feedback. And BD3 saving 1.0, ARR and the cool writing from then on only made so much good will to carry them so far. It's dwindling. And it's dwindling fast with decisions like these.

[whitemoonflower]

The Hrothgar situation was extremely disappointing for me.3+ years of promises for this... an ugly wig super glued on with a free ear amputation. And not even a word on the development of Female Hrothgar.
But I guess there is always 7.0. I can just hope that with their new overhaul they will be able to rework not only all playable models to make them less restricted but the character creation as well. Call me an optimist, but at this point, I need a spark of joy... this has made me so upset and bereft of hope I need something good, even if it's just a small reassurance. I love Hrothgar, they are my favourite race in this game and it pains me to see them treated as an annoyance by the devs. To see that an accessory item that you can only use when in idle animation was more of a priority than us.
My first MMO was 4Story and my first-ever character was a female beast. So when I heard of Female Hrothgar I got ecstatic! But now we don't even have an official concept art...
I just wish they would spare some of the devs to work on the Hrothgar and Viera issues, even with clipping, everything in this game clips, why not let the players choose? If they are ok with clipping then they can use any hairstyles, if not they can stick to the original ones. I don't know at this point... I just want to be able to use the hairstyles and keep my earring collection.

Please don't let it rob you of your joy, hope, or peace. The Hrothgar situation would be in an even worse state were people parading these changes as improvements. But a large portion of the community (including many who don't even care much for Hrothgar or Viera) are speaking up instead of letting silence be mistaken for approval. So thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on the matter. I hope you're able to bring your 4Story character to life in XIV someday.

[whitemoonflower]

How much you want to bet they'll look at that comment, see Loporrit Space Café and awkwardly stare at that abandoned place in Ultima Thule? Because it frankly looks like something they can do.

At this point, I'd be glad to know they're even looking at the EN forums. If past events are anything to go by, JP feedback seems to be held in much higher regard.

Going by images of modded Hrothgar and Viera, the headgear really only needs a bit of tweaking to work. It would take some time, it would take some effort. But not only is it doable, the very bare minimum works just fine. Which makes me wonder. Square naturally doesn't want to care about mods, but have they actually seen what modders have done? It works. Mild tweaking here and there, naturally, but even some mods clip and they're not as gaudy or cumbersome to look at like what they revealed.

That effort would not only be worth the time but would speak volumes to the community. As we've seen, it's far from impossible. It boils down to issues of quality and receptiveness. Ultimately, they can learn/grow from the feedback they're receiving re: Hrothgar, Viera, Hissatsu: Kaiten, etc. and sincerely address those issues or continue to ignore/excuse them, devaluing their playerbase in the process.

That's the thing, isn't it? They were a team that listened. But the way they presented those things and the subsequent silence, coupled with all that's happened the past 3 years and the minor flaws that keep piling up throughout the game? The past tense is starting to weigh down harder and harder. I don't know if it's complacency in the face of success, or if they know their community is so used to forgiving them and being understanding that this gets to pass.
Edit: Or it could be what I saw in another thread. Player retention and competition are no longer their focus. They are under no pressure to listen to their players anymore. Or you know, a combination of all 3.

No one will forget that a portion of the dev team allegedly worked behind Yoshida's back to give people head gear. But how long will that good faith last? 3+ years was more than enough time for them to get their priorities straight in the face of so much feedback. And BD3 saving 1.0, ARR and the cool writing from then on only made so much good will to carry them so far. It's dwindling. And it's dwindling fast with decisions like these.

I was hoping they wouldn't take their success for granted and let complacency creep in, but actions reveal what words conceal. Time will certainly tell.

[Pip_Chick]

Please don't let it rob you of your joy, hope, or peace. The Hrothgar situation would be in an even worse state were people parading these changes as improvements. But a large portion of the community (including many who don't even care much for Hrothgar or Viera) are speaking up instead of letting silence be mistaken for approval. So thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on the matter. I hope you're able to bring your 4Story character to life in XIV someday.

Thank you.

[HeyMcFly]

Given them being discussed on multiple platforms, complete obliviousness to how they're being received is slim to none. They can choose to ignore it, but it won't be a beneficial decision in the long run. You can only ignore your playerbase for so long before they look to find a dev team that listens. And that's the sad part: Creative Business Unit III was "the dev team that listens", at least more than most these days.

They'll eventually address it but likely not do anything about it for another few years. For example, when HW came out folks wanted Hilda's ponytail & Yoshi-P said if players asked for it he would implement it- eventually people gave up knowing they were being ignored and seeing that JP forums have active moderators compared to NA just has added to the frustration

Even if Yoshi-P & his team choose to ignore these requests, people will still pay to play the game & just spend money to fantasia.

For me, it's always been centered around housing first and foremost- With the way the decorating & housing system currently is is a broad gesture (IMO) to the way optional content like housing & character creator/ character races will always be- seen but not improved.

So, following through with anything they've said as far as Viera & Hrothgar I've always taken with a grain of salt. They've not added but 1 or 2 mog station hairs, and that's between Viera & I-- well I don't know if Hroth can wear Snows hair but I doubt it- I know Male Viera can & Female Viera wear Lightnings.
There is a clear disconnect but that's just the way it is.

They should just endorse mods at this point.

[grinkdaboy]

im not gonna lie i almost cried from laughing when they showed off hrothgar hair in the upcoming patch

at least viera are getting another hairstyle. (if you looked closely, i believe on the fending set from the upcoming alliance raid it shows a female viera with one of the common female hairstyles)

[Misplaced_Marbles]

I wanted to compare the way Battle-ready Bobs

This is irrelevant to the topic, so feel free to ignore it, but i just gotta ask: is that hairstyle truly called "Battle-ready Bobs"? 'Cause it's the exact opposite of being ready for any kind activity ("I can't see shit!").

[Retrisar]

Since SE doesn't care about EN forum maybe its time to complain on JP forums now .. even if would have to use google translate . Its feels like we just wasting our breath ( fingers ) here.

[Jason_Ashford]

Since SE doesn't care about EN forum maybe its time to complain on JP forums now .. even if would have to use google translate . Its feels like we just wasting our breath ( fingers ) here.

the JP players aren't really happy with us doing that. probably because Google translate doesn't really translate languages very well.